Elite drafts, smart trades, can't lose 🏈

WATCH OF THE WEEK

MARKETING BUZZ

OUR OBSESSION

The return of football season also means the return of fantasy football—now a seven billion dollar industry. To celebrate and poke fun at the fact that fantasy leagues have become a sport in their own right, NBC Sports created the Friday Night Lights parody to end all Friday Night Lights parodies in the three-part web series, “Draftsville.” Rather than trying to lead a high school football team to a state championship like the show’s Coach Taylor, Coach Stanton is looking to put together the best fantasy team in the small town of “Draftsville,” where all the locals have opinions. Nailing the signature style of the beloved drama, “Draftsville” is a must watch for football and FNL fans alike and proves that fantasy football is now taken just as seriously and sometimes more seriously than the games themselves.

To promote the third season of hit series Narcos, Netflix took an under-the-radar approach. Choosing to forgo billboards and buses, the streaming service instead went with hidden ads that reference the marketing tactics of the Cali Cartel. One such covert ad placed in the bathrooms of bars and clubs features a rolled dollar bill and outline of a white substance with the fun fact “Here in the ’90s? There’s an 80% chance this powder came from the Cali Cartel.” These strategically placed ads serve as a nod to fans of the show by making them feel in on the joke while also reminding them it’s time for their next fix… of Narcos, that is.

TV writer, producer, and author extraordinaire Shonda Rhimes has launched her own lifestyle website, Shondaland. Sharing a name with the prolific storyteller’s production studio, the website aims to be yet another platform for her company do just that, tell stories. With categories such as “live,” “inspire,” “watch,” and “act,” the site adds Shonda’s unique point of view to the lifestyle guru scene, which is heavily dominated by the Gwyneth Paltrows and Lauren Conrads of the world. Featuring articles like “It's Time to Redefine Progress: Celebrating POC shouldn't be exceptional, it should be the norm” in response to Sunday’s Emmys and “Rep. Maxine Waters Spills the Tea: Let Auntie Maxine set you free” written by Rhimes herself, it’s clear that Shondaland.com is going to be as diverse and #woke as her beloved TV shows.

IN OUR CARTS

APP-TASTIC

PROPS TO

There’s a new type of technical in the NBA, the tech Jersey. Nike recently announced their new line of NBA Connected Jerseys that not only allow fans to show off their team spirit, but offer access to exclusive content via their smartphones. Using the NikeConnect App, users simply tap their phones to the tech-infused tag at the bottom of their jersey to unlock access to NBA highlights, limited edition gear, tickets, and more. More than ever, consumers value access in addition to ownership and will no doubt be intrigued by the exclusive content. No word yet on whether or not these connected jerseys are machine washable, but we do know they’re available starting September 29th.

Move over Sarahah! New free app tbh (to be honest) is at the top of the App store. Coining itself “the only anonymous app with positive vibes,” users are prompted to input only their grade, gender (non-binary is an option of course), and then are presented with fun polls about friends. Featuring only positive accolades such as “who should DJ every party” or “who makes you laugh the hardest,” the app has figured out how to circumvent cyber bullying. The more times a user is chosen in polls, the more gems they receive, which unlock more questions and features that will be available in the future. While Sarahah has already fallen out of the top charts on iTunes and Google Play, tbh’s addictive game-like interface and positive repertoire could keep notoriously fickle Gen Zs hooked.

In honor of Climate Week, Mars launched a campaign for M&M’s titled “Fans of Wind” to spread awareness about and inspire people to fight climate change. The campaign highlights the confection conglomerate’s $1 billion pledge to fight climate change through investments in renewable energy and sustainable food sourcing over the past year. By operating two wind farms in Scotland and Texas, Mars sources enough wind power to make all the M&M’s in the world. Moreover, they are working to add additional farms in nine other countries by 2018 to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 27% by 2025. Leveraging their powerful position as the biggest chocolate maker in the world, the campaign is a great example of a corporation taking responsibility for their impact on the environment.